Pressing and ironing equipment



June 20, 1967 D. MAZZOLLA 3,325,928

RESSING AND IRONING EQUIPMENT Filed June 21, 1965 IN VEN TOR. JAN 0. M42201.

United States Patent 3,325,928 PRESSING AND IRONIN G EQUIPMENT Dan D. Mazzolla, 2464 Raleigh Drive, York, Pa. 17402 Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,418 Claims. ((11. 3836) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A steam pressing device comprising a stationary buck containing steam therein, a pressing head pivotable above the stationary buck, tetrafluoroethylene and glass fiber pad having minute pores therethrough covering the stationary buck, and an imperforate coating of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene not in access of .005 inch in thickness bonded to the pressing head.

This invention relates to pressing and ironing equipment and, more particularly, to equipment for ironing and pressing damp garments which have been laundered and are to be finished by ironing or pressing the same, thereby distinguishing the equipment from that used in dry cleaning establishments where garments in dry condition, are pressed after having been dry cleaned, for example.

Pressing machines presently used for the pressing and smooth finishing of damp garments comprises a movable upper head having a smooth metal surface which is heated and is brought into pressing engagement with a garment supported by a buck which is stationarily supported and also is heated. Other ironing and pressing means include portable hand-type irons which also have a smooth metal surface on the bottom thereof, such irons being heated by various means and frequently having discharge ports therethrough for delivering steam to the item being ironed or pressed.

Particularly when devices of this type are used to press or iron damp garments having starch therein, it is well known that such starch frequently accumulates on the smooth metal surfaces of the ironing members and builds up in thickness thereon, resulting in inefficient heat transfer due to the insulating effect imparted by the accumulated starch, as well as being subject to scorching and such scorched starch readily is transferred to the damp garments being pressed.

As a result of the foregoing undesirable results of using conventional ironing and pressing equipment for the finishing of damp, laundered garments, it is necessary especially in proper maintenance of industrial or commercial type pressing machines which employ the aforementioned smooth surface to metal heads, to clean said heads, preferablydaily, to remove the accumulated starch therefrom. Such cleansing usually is accomplished by the use of compounds that are most effective when used while the pressing head is hot, whereby the attendants undertaking such cleaning not infrequently are burned. Also, because of this difficult situation, it can well be imagined that such desired maintenance of these ironing surfaces is not undertaken any more than is absolutely necessary by the operators and attendants of laundry establishments.

Due to the fact that the aforementioned pressing heads usually are made from steel, the use of the same to iron damp apparel also gradually results in the pressing surface of the steel head gradually becoming rusted, even though regularly cleaned and serviced, whereby it is necessary to have certain machine finishing and servicing establishments refinish the pressing surface of such steel heads by grinding and polishing operations, usually on the order of about at least once every two years, this operation costing on the average of approximately $150.00 per head at the present rate of charge.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide on the working surfaces of pressing and ironing equipment, such as the movable pressing heads of commercial-type pressing machines, and also upon other pressing and ironing equipment such as hand irons, a very thin coating of polymerized tetrafiuoroethylene, one brand of which is sold under the trade name, Teflon, said coating being fixedly bonded to such work surface.

Another object of the invention is to use a coating of polymerized tetrafiuoroethylene of such thickness that it is substantially incapable of deformation such as when brought into contact against localized projections on garments such as buttons, buckles, fasteners, seams, and the like, whereby said coating remains evenly smooth over long periods of use.

It is a further object of the invention to render such coating substantially glass-smooth when initially applied to the work surface of the pressing elements or members, such surface being entirely unreceptive to the accumulation of foreign matter such as starch or any other residue from garments or other items being finished by being pressed or ironed by such equipment, whereby it is com pletely unnecessary to refinish either the surface of the coating itself or the surface of the pressing equipment or items to which said coating is bonded, thereby completely obviating the present requirements of substantially daily cleaning of the pressing surfaces of conventional equipment and the periodic expensive major type of refinishing of the metallic surfaces of present equipment.

Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as other objects thereof, are set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprising a part thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a commercial type ironing or pressing machine especially adapted to finish damp, laundered garments and the like and embodying the principles of the present invention, the lower portion of the machine being shown only fragmentarily.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially transversely through the middle of the machine shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating interior details of construction of both the pressing head and stationary buck.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a portable, hand iron having the present invention applied to the lower surface thereof.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, vertical elevation of a portion of the forward part of the hand iron shown in FIG. 3 and illustrating steam discharge ports extending through the bottom plate of the iron.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the principles of the invention are illustrated therein as being applied to a commercial type of pressing machine 10, supported on a conventional pedestal 12 and being connected to a suitable source of heat such as steam lines or the like, not illustrated. Mounted above a substantially horizontal counter-like member 14 is a stationary buck 16 which, as best shown in FIG. 2, has an interior cavity 18 extending substantially for the full length and most of the width of the buck 16. A steam line 20 is connected to the cavity 18 adjacent one end thereof for purposes of introducing steam at suitable temperature and pressure to the cavity 18, while adjacent the other end, is a steam discharge line 22 which carries the used steam from the cavity 18, to suitable discharge means such as a condenser, valve exhausting to atmosphere, or otherwise.

The top 24 of buck 16, which actually forms the upper wall of the cavity 18, preferably is arcuate in transverse cross-section, as shown in FIG. 2, but is substantially straight longitudinally as can be seen from FIG. 1. The top 24 is imperforate and the stream introduced into cavity 18 adequately heats said top for transmission of heat to a compressible pad 26 which, preferably, is coextensive in area with the top 24 of the buck. The pad 26 may be formed from any suitable material such as steel wool, asbestos, cotton padding, or the like and the thickness thereof is substantially conventional, of the order of approximately one-half inch.

The pad 26 is covered with a porous cover sheet 28 which, in its preferred construction, is formed from spun glass fiber threads or filaments coated with tetrafiuoroethylene, and then woven or knitted into a suitable fabric having very small pores or interstices therethrough, throughout the area of the sheet, especially for purposes of permitting transmission therethrough of steam generated as a result of pressing damp pieces, such as laundered garments, to be finished by pressing, the steam resulting from the pressing and consequent drying of the pieces being absorbed at least momentarily 'by the pad 26.

The heat transmitted to the pad however from the heated top 24 of the buck serves quickly to evaporate the steam from the pad 26 when the head 30 of the pressing machine is elevated and particularly after a pressed or ironed piece has been removed from the buck 16. Such cover sheet will last a number of years without attention other than dusting with a dry cloth to remove lint and the like.

In contrast, conventional cotton covers last on the average of only about several weeks and cost between $4.00 and $5.00 each. Paint and other gummy material picked up from laundered garments can be absorbed by such cotton covers and transferred to other garments being pressed. Such is not possible with covers embodying the invention.

While a woven or knitted type of porous cover sheet 28 is preferred, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates the utilization of other forms of sheet material, but preferably only those which include or are primarilycomposed of a work-engaging surface of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene, one commercial type of which is sold under the trade name Teflon. Preferably, such sheet should be slightly porous in order to permit the passage of steam through the same in opposite directionsto and from the pad 26. One of the principal attributes of the employment of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene is that is provides a very smooth surface which is imparted to a piece being pressed or ironed by the pressing machine and, even more importantly, starch or other extraneous material in the piece being pressed does not adhere to and therefore does not accumulate or build up upon the cover sheet because of the lack of affinity of polymerized .tetrafluoroethylene therefor.

The head 30 preferably is formed from metal, such as a suitable steel alloy and is provided with a cavity 32 which, like the cavity 18 in buck 16, serves to accommodate steam or other heating media which can be delivered thereto, adjacent one end for example, by a steam inlet conduit 34, while adjacent the opposite end thereof, a similar steam discharge conduit, not shown, carries used steam from the cavity after the steam has suitably heated the lower wall 36 of the head 30, which is arcuate in crosssection but straight longitudinally, so as to be complementary to the upper surface of the buck 16. The lower surface of the lower wall 36 comprises the work surface of the head 30 and to this Work surface is firmly afixed a thin coating 38 of polymerized tetrafiuoroethylene, said coating preferably being of the order of only several thousandths of an inch, and not substantially in excess of .005 inch in thickness. Because of such firm and contiguous bonding, maximum efiiciency of heat transfer directly through such coating occurs.

The head 30 actually may comprise a conventional pressing head and the outer surface of the concaved lower wall 36 is the type which, in normal, currently used pressing machines is subject to the accumulation of starch re- 4 sulting from contact of said head with starch, damp garments, or other similar pieces to be pressedor ironed by the machine. Being composed primarily of steel, the wall 36 likewise gradually is subject to rusting from contact with the moisture of the pieces being pressed.

Current practice to minimize such accumulation of starch and other extraneous materials, as well as the rusting of the pressing surface, require preferably daily cleaning of the outer surface of lower wall 36 with compounds which operate best when used While the pressing head is hot. Burning of the hands and arms of the attendants performing the cleaning operations frequently results. Also, when rusting of such pressing surface has progressed to the point where the surface must be restored to operative condition, it is necessary to remove the head and send it to a suitable establishment which performs refinishing operations such as by grinding and polishing, which operation is relatively expensive, currently being of the order of approximately $150.00 per head and good practice usually requires such refinishing to be done about once every two years.

By employing the coating 38 of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene however, Which is bonded fixedly to the outer surface of lower Wall 36, in accordance with the present invention, it is not necessary to service the head other than to occasionally dust it as when cleaning the.

entire machine with an air hose, or wipe the surface with a dry cloth. It has been found to be impossible for starch or other extraneous material to adhere to a surface of said material. Further, the coating 38 may be tinted suitably so as not to reflect glare into the operators eyes or to reflect as much heat onto an operator as is possible I with a conventional shiny steel head.

The outer surface of the coating 38 also preferably is glass-smooth and, being of the order of preferably only several thousandths of an inch in thickness, said coating is substantially non-deformable, even When it engages localized projections such as buttons, buckles, snaps, seams, and other irregular surfaces in the garments or pieces being ironed or pressed. The preferably glasssmooth surface of the coating layer 38 also .produces an exceedingly smooth ironed finished surface upon the piece being operated upon by the pressing machine, the same actually very largely closing the pores of the fabric, thus rendering the same very highly resistant to having dirt lodge on or in said finished surface, in contrast to woven fabric which has the pores still substantially open after being pressed on conventional pressing machines. Also,

the arrangement described simultaneously presses and finishes both surfaces of a piece or garment being ironed or pressed.

Afiixing the coating layer 38 of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene to the outer surface of lower wall 36 of the head 30 preferably is accomplished by initially slightly roughening said lower surface, such as by a limited amount of sand blasting or other appropriate technique. A very thin layer or coating of said polymerized material is sprayed upon the slightly roughened surface to a desired thickness Within the ranges indicated above and then subjected to a baking operation which may vary between 300 F. and 750 F. for a period of as much as approximately one hour. Such procedure produces a glass-smooth surface upon the coating of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene and completely cures the same and fixedly bonds it to head 30 sothat said layer readily withstands, for long periods of time, the temperatures to which a pressing head of a conventional pressing machine is subjected, Without appreciable deterioration or wear. Used steel heads of conventional type also may be converted to the invention by suitably preparing the surface thereof and applying a coating of tetrafluoroethylene thereto as described above.

Another unexpected attribute of using polymerized tetrafluoroethylene for the coating 38 is that, when a damp, laundered piece is subjected to pressing in a conventional pressing machine which is not provided with the coating 38, for a longer period than normally recommended, scorching of the piece frequently results from the accumulated scorched starch thereon. This at least necessitates the re-laundering of the piece, assuming that the scorch is not too intense and can be removed from the piece by further laundering. If too badly scorched, the scorched stain remains in the piece almost indefinitely. In contrast to the foregoing however, it has been found that a damp piece to be pressed or ironed in a pressing machine embodying the present invention, in which the coating 38 of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene has been bonded to the outer surface of lower wall 36 of the pressing head 30, no scorch results even when such piece is permitted to remain in the pressing machine longer than normally required.

As explained above, although the pressing surfaces of the buck 16 and head 30 are imperforate, and only serve to conduct heat by convection respectively to the coating 38 of the head 30 and the pad 26 of the buck 16, when a damp piece is being pressed or ironed between the head and buck of the present invention, the temperature of this combination of elements serves to dry the piece being pressed or ironed by converting the moisture therein to steam, in addition to smoothing opposite surfaces of the piece, the steam escaping from the piece by passing through the pores of the cover sheet 28 over the pad 26 and being absorbed within the pad 26. However, when the pressing head 30 is elevated and especially after the piece has been removed from the buck 16 in finished condition, the heat from the top 24 of the buck 16 serves to drive the steam from the pad 26, through the porous cover sheet 28, into the atmopshere, whereby the pad 26 does not become unduly saturated.

The present invention likewise is applicable to other forms of ironing and pressing devices, such as the hand iron 40 shown in front elevation in FIG. 3. Such irons are provided with various types of upper structures mounted above the sole 42 which, usually is of the order of between one-half and one-quarter inch in thickness and formed from metal of efficient heat transfer properties such as various aluminum alloys and the like. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the lower surface of the sole 42 is at least slightly roughened, such as by sand blasting or the like, and a wear-sustaining coating or layer 44 of polymerized tetrafiuoroethylene is applied to a similar thickness and bonded thereto by a procedure similar to that used to aflix the layer 38 to the bottom 36 of head 30, described above with respect to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In those types of hand irons 40 which are provided with steam generating and discharge means therethrough, especially in the form of steam discharge port 46, shown in exemplary and fragmentary manner in FIG. 4, the coating 44 of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene also is provided with discharge holes 48 coaxial with the ports 46. As with the coating 38 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating 44 on the hand iron 40 will not permit the accumulation of starch thereon or any other deterioration of the preferably glass-smooth lower surface of the coating 44. It also will be understood that the coating 44 preferably is of the approximate thickness of the coating 38 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, having the same advantages and being for the same purposes of preventing deformation such as by contact with buttons, seams, or the like.

While the several types of ironing and pressing members are illustrated and described as being heated by steam, it is to be understood that other source of heat may be employed such as electrical resistance elements, or the like, Within the purview of the invention.

Although several embodiments of the invention are illustrated and claimed in this invention, it is to be understood that they are capable of having substantially different applications and functions in use, whereby the same are not the equivalents of each other and are not to be so considered.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its several preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A rigid metallic pressing head of a garment pressing machine having a steam cavity therein movable substan tially vertically relative to a work piece to be pressed thereby, said head having a concaved lower working surface directly engageable with work pieces by downward pressing movement only to smoothly press and iron the same, said steam cavity serving to heat said working surface when steam is supplied thereto and said work surface having a thin imperforate coating of uniform thickness not in excess of .005 inch of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene bonded directly and fixedly thereto upon a preroughened surface and covering the entire Work surface of said ironing member, the outer surface of said coating being substantially glass-smooth to effectively close the pores of fabric pieces being pressed thereby and said coating being suificiently thin that uneven surfaces and objects on the work pieces being pressed do not deform said glass-smooth outer surface.

2. A steam pressing device comprising in combination, a stationary buck having a steam cavity therein and an imperforate upper surface, a compressible pad extending over said upper surface, a flexible covering over said pad comprising polymerized tetrafluoroethylene reinforced with glass fibers and having minute pores therethrough for the passage of steam to said pad from damp pieces being pressed, a pressing head mounted for movement toward and from said buck and having a steam cavity therein and an imperforate lower working surface complementa-ry to the upper surface of said buck and covering thereon, and a thin coating of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene bonded to the entire lower work surface thereof, the thinness of said coating rendering the same substantially incapable of deformation.

3. The steam pressing device according to claim 2 in which said coating on said pressing head is not substantially in excess of .005 inch.

4. The steam pressing device according to claim 2 in which said coating on said pressing head is substantially glass-smooth.

5. The steam pressing device according to claim 2 in which said flexible covering on said buck is woven from spun glass fiber filaments coated with polymerized tetrafluoroethylene to provide an outermost surface of such coating on said flexible covering.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,254,567 9/1941 Dayton 38-140 X 2,877,577 3/1959 Jacobson 3897 X 3,105,313 10/1963 Johnson 38-66 3,148,467 9/1964 Kerr 38- 3,2'11,325 10/1965 Wisnicki 3897 X 3,257,746 6/1966 Cohen 38-97 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RIGID METALLIC PRESSING HEAD OF A GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE HAVING A STEAM CAVITY THEREIN MOVABLE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO A WORK PIECE TO BE PRESSED THEREBY, SAID HEAD HAVING A CONCAVED LOWER WORKING SURFACE DIRECTLY ENGAGEABLE WITH WORK PIECES BY DOWNWARD PRESSING MOVEMENT ONLY TO SMOOTHLY PRESS AND IRON THE SAME, SAID STEAM CAVITY SERVING TO HEAT SAID WORKING SURFACE WHEN STEAM IS SUPPLIED THERETO AND SAID WORK SURFACE HAVING A THIN IMPERFORATE COATING OF UNIFORM THICKNESS NOT IN EXCESS OF .005 INCH OF POLYMERIZED TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE BONDED DIRECTLY AND FIXEDLY THERETO UPON A PREROUGHENED SURFACE AND COVERING THE ENTIRE WORK SURFACE OF SAID IRONING MEMBER, THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID COATING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GLASS-SMOOTH TO EFFECTIVELY CLOSE THE PORES OF FABRIC PIECES BEING PRESSED THEREBY AND SAID COATING BEING SUFFICIENTLY THIN THAT UNEVEN SURFACES AND OBJECTS ON THE WORK PIECES BEING PRESSED DO NOT DEFORM SAID GLASS-SMOOTH OUTER SURFACE. 